Will Europe pick a quarrel with China? Brussels does not want to quit the field uncontested when it comes to the fact that the People's Republic infiltrates the European economy for self-serving reasons and wants to set the tone also in political terms, writes Wolf Achim Wiegand.

At a time of increased tensions between Brussels and Beijing, the two partners met in Venice on Friday (19 January) to launch the EU-China Tourism Year, hoping to patch up or better revitalise relations.

On 8 January, French President Macron visited China for the first time, seeking closer relations between China and Europe. Some believe it is meant to reposition France as Beijing’s pivot in Europe after Brexit. But the visit comes at a complex time of growing concerns vis-à-vis China’s influence on the continent, warns Harry Nedelcu.

The European Commission launched an investigation on Thursday (21 December) into whether Chinese exporters of electronic bicycles (e-bikes) benefited from excessive state subsidies, increasing trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing.

A 16+1 summit of the Central and Eastern European Countries and China took place yesterday (27 November) in Budapest, hosted by the Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán. His Bulgarian colleague Boyko Borissov announced that next years’ summit will take place in Sofia.

While the EU-UK talks to agree on an orderly divorce have stalled, Chinese investors are willing to pour more money in the exiting member state over the coming years despite the uncertainty around its future relationship with the bloc.